My Bucket List

by Kerri Carpenter

In my new book, Tempting Mr. Wrong, the hero Lance has a bucket list he’s been compiling for years. Of course, his plans to complete the list are, ahem, waylaid by the heroine Carly. But it got me thinking about my own bucket list. So without further ado, please enjoy learning about some of the things that I would love to do.

(I’ve actually been quite fortunate to check off the number one item on my to-do list. What was that item? See below at the end of my list. The rest of the list is in no particular order.)

Visit all 50 states in the U.S. (And by “visit” I mean actually visit. Airport layovers or driving through on the way to another state does not count.)

Swim with dolphins.

I have many places I really want to visit. Here’s a short list. (Seriously, this is the short list! There are many, many more.) Ireland, wine trip through Napa, Alaskan cruise, Spain, Iceland, Canada, New Orleans*

*Note: I’m going to New Orleans this fall – can’t wait to check it off the list!

I would love to see one of my books made into a Hallmark Channel movie. This goes double if it becomes one of the Hallmark Holiday movies, because I am obsessed with those. But any made-for-TV movie will do.

I’m from the Pittsburgh-area and I love all of my black and gold teams, so I’d love to see either the Steelers play in Super Bowl live, witness the Penguins playing in the Stanley Cup final, or watch the Pirates play in the World Series. (I do realize the Pens just played in the Stanley Cup final. I did look into tickets but um…well…let’s just say I need that Hallmark Channel deal to happen so I can afford tickets next time.)

Take a weekend spa retreat at one of those super-fancy, celebrity-type spa/resorts.

Stay somewhere with a swim-up bar in the pool.

Go ziplining.

Learn to fence.

Learn to sew. This might actually be more necessity considering I can’t even sew a button back on to a shirt.

There you have it. Some of the items from my personal to-do list.

**What item did I already check off my bucket list? Publishing a romance novel, of course! In fact, I’ve published four so far with five more coming out soon. My latest is Tempting Mr. Wrong, Book 2 in the Wrong Man Series, available now from Entangled Publishing.

Do you have a bucket list? Tell me about it in the comments below.

TEMPTING MR. WRONG

Lance Townsend craves freedom after years living a structured existence in the Army. But just as he’s about to start on his bucket list, Lance receives an unexpected request: check in on his goddaughter. The problem? The adorable little girl’s aunt is the one woman he’s never been able to forget.

Carly Quigley can’t believe her brother’s best friend, the man who jilted her years ago, is at her door. He claims her brother asked him to check in on her niece and their fixer-upper, but all either of them can focus on is their undeniable attraction. Carly knows Lance is counting down the hours to leave, which makes him the wrong man for her. Unfortunately, the wrong man has become oh-so-tempting.

Excerpt

Carly started a pot of coffee. While it brewed, she meandered over to the window again. Thank God she wasn’t holding her coffee cup because it would have most definitely been dropped and splattered into a million pieces on the floor. Lance was working out in the backyard. But not just working out. Half-naked working out. And currently he was doing one-armed pushups as his rippling muscles quivered with the exertion.

Damn. She knew something else that was currently trembling, and she had to cross her legs to keep from losing it completely. Her mouth dropped open, and she knew that drool was soon to drip out of it. She knew Lance was built, but witnessing his naked top half working out really drove that point home.

Holy hell.

As if he felt her presence and knew she was standing there gawking at him, Lance looked up. No time to even pretend to be doing something else, she was totally busted. Taking it in stride, Carly winked and then strolled back to the kitchen and fixed her coffee. As Lance sauntered in the back door a few moments later, she took a long, deep gulp, the hot liquid scalding her throat. Not that she felt it because Lance still remained shirtless and her brain therefore remained inoperable.

One thought on “My Bucket List”

Learn to play the banjo.
See the Milky Way.
See a meteor shower.
See the Northern Lights.
Visit the Kristkindlmarts in Germany and Austria some December.
See the glass flower collection at Harvard.
Probably more I’m not thinking of.

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